Since I have had more time at home the last few weeks, I refilled my backyard bird feeders. Usually, I only feed the birds in the winter. But this summer I did it so that I could enjoy the birds’ visits.            And the birds came! My back yard was visited by hundreds of birds. Some were at the feeder and many were on the ground. Flocks of sparrows and ...

Last week I picked several tomatoes from the two plants in my backyard. To my amazement, I got to them before either the birds or the bugs did.The first thing I noticed was the wonderful smell on my hands. I think it was from the leaves. Smells always associate with memories, and this memory took me back to the tomato field of Alex Hilvers, a neighbor of my parents, who always employed my ...

NPR featured a story about a growing shortage of sand in the world. It makes sense. Sand is used in construction, especially in concrete. It is also used in making glass. Both concrete and glass are in abundance…and they will be primary components in our new church building.The featured story gained some notoriety in that it captured people’s imagination. If you  have been to a beach ...

I walked barefoot through my backyard to pick some flowers for the kitchen table. The lawn was spongey, still soggy even though it was a couple days after the latest rain.            Earlier in the week it had rained a lot. A lot. And it had stormed. At first the thirsty ground had soaked up the water. The rain was better than any sprinkling system. But the ...

          In just a couple of weeks earth movers and other big pieces of construction machinery will be entering our parish property. Construction will begin on our long-awaited house for the church.            Have you perhaps noticed that I always refer to it as the church building or the house for the church? The real ...

  A farmer friend allowed me to pick wild black raspberries on his property. These bushes love to grow and produce on the very edge of the woods, which his farm has a lot of.            At first, I thought I was a week early and only found a few berries. Then I moved to another area and the bushes were full of ripe and ripening berries.      ...